Flags of the Fallen honors life of South Fulton officer killed in head-on crash
Lt. Helio Garcia was killed in a head-on crash on April 15, 2025. (South Fulton Police Department)
SOUTH FULTON, Ga. - An organization is honoring the life and legacy of a South Fulton police officer killed while on duty earlier this year.
This week, Flags of the Fallen presented Lt. Helio Garcia III's family with two flags dedicated to his service.
The backstory:
According to the police, Garcia was on duty and driving his patrol vehicle on April 15, 2025, when a driver, later identified as 31-year-old Santoria Latrice McLean, veered into his lane and hit him head on.
RELATED: Woman charged with killing South Fulton officer in head-on crash
Both Garcia and McLean were rushed to a local hospital.
Garcia did not survive his injuries.
Police honor fallen South Fulton captain
South Fulton Capt. Helio Garcia was killed in the line of duty. His fellow officers and community members came together on Sunday to remember him with a candlelight vigil.
McLean is charged with reckless driving, first-degree homicide by vehicle, improper/erratic lane change, and driving too fast for conditions.
She remains in the Fulton County Jail without bond.
What they're saying:
On Wednesday night, the group gave Garcia's family the flags, which have Garcia's badge and other symbols of his life on them.
"It was an honor to meet these tremendous people and honor this incredible hero of a man," the organization wrote on Facebook.
Dig deeper:
Garcia was one of the founding members of the South Fulton Police Department and worked in many different positions there.
Chief of Police Kieth Meadows says he had assigned Garcia to be a patrol lieutenant to mentor younger officers in the months before his death.
"He was an amazing man and a true hero," Eliana Garcia, the fallen officer's wife, told FOX 5 at a vigil in May. "A true hero that served this community to literally the last seconds of his life."
The couple would have been married 13 years this month.
The Source: Information for this story came from a Faceboo post by Flags of the Fallen and previous FOX 5 reporting.